Find Your Way
by Serah Villiers
Summary: Lightning is late home and Serah is worried...time to send out her own personal hero to go and rescue her. Except that Lightning isn't so quick to accept any aid that comes from a certain blonde. Family bonding and some SnowxSerah.


_AU in that I've completely cut out all of the events of the game. Sorry about that...but in my defence it didn't fit and I wanted to show the bonding that could have happened had all of the L'Cie business not have happened. Enjoy anyway!_

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**Find Your Way**

Rain pattered gently at the window, tiny droplets racing down the pane leaving silvery trails in their wake. The sky outside was a deep royal blue, the night was truly setting in now. And Lightning had promised to be home for dinner. Serah sighed and glanced back at the stew she was cooking. It was simmering gently, keeping warm and awaiting the arrival of her sister so they could eat as a family.

"Guess I scared her off, huh? I told you not to tell her I was coming…"

Serah smiled softly and shook her head, soft pink locks falling into her eyes as she turned to her fiancé. Snow was sitting at the kitchen table, long legs folded under his chair as he smiled nervously. Though he joked, Serah knew he was scared of meeting her sister again. "I didn't tell her you were coming. It was going to be a surprise. Besides, she may have cooled off now…"

"Cooled off?" Incredulous blue eyes sparkled as Snow recalled their last encounter. He'd done well not to be punched. "She could spend a month in a freezer and still not cool off! …Sorry, Serah. I just…she doesn't like me. I don't know why! I'm charming!"

"And modest!" Serah grinned, turning back to stir the stew. Her hand rested on the wooden spoon as she glanced out once again into the rainy night. "She just doesn't know you like I know you. That's why I was looking forward to tonight. I wanted her to see you outside of her job, see the guy that makes me laugh and makes me feel loved…I want her to see you through my eyes…" She trailed off as arms slipped around her waist. Snow bent and ghosted a kiss across her temple.

"We'll make her see me differently. I'll do everything I can not to annoy her anymore than I already have…I want her to like me. For you. I want us all to get along because it's what you deserve." He'd give the world to Serah if he could. They'd only been together a relatively short while, but already they were inseparable. Snow couldn't imagine his life without Serah, but with the loss of her parents Lightning had stepped into the role of both mother and father for the younger Farron sister. And as such held a lot of disapproval for anyone wishing to date her.

"We'll make her see." Serah agreed, turning in Snow's arms so that she was facing the much taller man. Lifting a hand, slim fingers gently traced his cheek before tucking a lock of blonde hair behind his ear.

For once Snow's hair was free from the bandana; he'd taken it off as a sign of respect upon entering the household. He'd really made an effort; his trademark white coat was hanging up on a peg by the front door, his huge military style boots were next to her sneakers on the shoe rack. He was wearing a deep blue shirt and black trousers that weren't as baggy as his usual style. He'd even shaved properly, the stubble that usually tickled her whenever she kissed him was gone. It was nice that he'd done all of this to try and impress someone that he didn't get along with…and he'd done it all for her. Serah smiled but before Snow could ask why the room illuminated brightly and a crack of thunder ripped through the air. Serah jumped a little and Snow's arms instinctively tightened around her, pulling her close to his chest.

"It's okay, just a storm." He said softly, rubbing her back to stop the trembling as the rain intensified, battering the windows and roof.

"Lightning…she's out there…" Serah mumbled pitifully, watching the sky darken to an inky black as the storm closed in. Trees danced in the howling wind, branches threatening to fall in response to the onslaught.

"She's tough. A little thunder won't hurt her, and she's named after lightning, remember!" Snow tried to lighten the mood, but Serah wasn't smiling anymore. Her face was twisted into a frown as she watched the trees and suddenly she was pulling away from the embrace and heading towards the front door. "H-hey! Where are you going? It's pouring down out there!" Snow followed her, long strides easily catching up with the small woman.

"I know she can take care of herself, but she's my sister! What if something has happened and she's hurt and alone? What if she's…" Serah swallowed and started tying her laces on her sneakers. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't make a loop. Large hands, sans gloves tonight, rested on her slim ones, halting her actions. Eyes shining with tears glanced up to meet Snow's concern filled eyes. "…I-I have an umbrella."

"An umbrella will just get blown inside out. And you'll get blown away out there; look what the wind is doing to the trees! Its pitch black, too, you could trip and fall…and then you'd be the one out there hurt and alone. What the hell kind of fiancé would I be if I let that happen, huh?" Grinning, Snow thumped a hand to his chest. "You stay here, look after dinner. We're going to be starving by the time we get back!"

"Snow? You…you'll go? Really? But…what if you get hurt? I can't let you-"

"You're worried about Light. I'm…kinda worried about her myself. I'm your hero, remember? This is what I do. You're not going to stop worrying until she's back here safe, so…let me go get her. Then we can have our family night in, yeah?"

"Snow…thank you. I don't tell you I love you nearly enough…" Sniffing, Serah threw herself forwards into Snow's arms, and held him tightly.

"You tell me plenty, but I'm not going to complain if you want to say it more! Can never say it too many times." Gently he held her back, nuzzling the top of her head, the gently floral scent of her hair threatening to make him rethink his decision and stay here with her. But he couldn't; Lightning needed help. "Okay, sooner I go, the sooner we get back!" Reluctantly letting Serah go he laced his boots up and grabbed his coat and gloves. Bending down he cupped her cheek in a hand and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "We'll be back before you know it."

"I'll be waiting. Thank you again…my hero." She said softly, smiling as he opened the door and entered the cool night. Her smile faded as he disappeared into the darkness. Now both of the people she loved most in the world were out in the storm…she needed to do some cleaning to distract herself and stop herself worrying sick.

Snow folded his arms across his chest, holding the large white coat in place. He never did it up; he couldn't even be sure the zip even worked. Serah often teased him about it, but he always claimed that it looked cooler this way. Fashion be damned, though, the rain was soaking him through and the wind was unforgiving. With shaking hands he fumbled in the near darkness for the zip and finally did the coat up, cocooning himself within the warmth. As he carried on he had to wonder whether Lightning had a jacket. He nearly laughed at himself then; of course she didn't. The soldier would never admit to being cold and could probably glare at the wind and make it blow in the other direction. Still a pang of worry tugged at his mind. As tough as she claimed to be, her customary sleeveless top and micro skirt weren't going to help in this weather.

"If she's even out in it…" Snow muttered to himself. About twenty minutes after setting out he'd wondered if perhaps the woman had simply noticed the oncoming storm and taken cover at somebody's home or a public building. Perhaps even returned to a Sanctum office and decided to spend the night there. She may have already called Serah to tell her not to worry…and he was out here freezing his ass off! "Better be in trouble." He decided, hating himself for thinking it as he'd said it. He blamed the cold and wet and the fact that he really had wanted to be with Serah right now. They'd have finished dinner now had things gone to plan. Lightning would have either kicked him out of her home or listened to what he'd had to say and welcomed him with open arms.

The thought of Lightning being welcoming wasn't one that came easily to mind, even someone with as active an imagination as Snow. Pushing that aside Snow carried on. In truth he didn't really know where Lightning would be. He knew where she was supposed to be, but he doubted she'd still be there. She'd have finished her mission and come home. So he was walking the most likely course Lightning would have taken home, hoping to find her somewhere on the way. His path had led him into a light forest, amidst which was supposedly a resistance groups hideout that Lightning had been sent to infiltrate. Except he was getting awfully close to where she was supposed to have been on her mission…perhaps she'd gone another way home? Perhaps he'd missed her in the dark and walked right past her? Perhaps…

"Ng! Get off!"

Snow froze. The wind had carried a surprisingly familiar voice. He'd only met the elder Farron once, but she was someone you just didn't forget. Quickening his pace, Snow hurried through the trees, twigs snapping underfoot as he made it to a small clearing. Bathed in pale moonlight Lightning was fighting off a couple of Gorgonopsid, her sword swinging rather aimlessly and missing her targets on several occasions. That wasn't right…Lightning was one of the best soldiers of her time. Word was she was on her way to the top. The beasts were right in front of her and the light from the moon was pretty good here…

When Lightning turned to fend off another attack Snow saw the problem. Her eyes were dull and glassy, void of emotion or life. She'd been blinded. Probably poisoned too by the way she was staggering around. Snow cursed under his breath and charged forwards, punching the first monster that he came to in the jaw sending it flying into the treeline.

"Stop swinging that thing around, you'll take my head off! Leave this to me, nee-san!" Snow said loudly, fighting to speak over the rain and the sound of Lightning's sword connecting with the ground as she swung once more and missed.

"Y-you? Why are you here? Go away, I can do this." Lightning swung again as she heard a strangled cry, and nearly sliced Snow's arm off.

"Hey HEY! I said stop! You're going to kill me or yourself!" Snow yelled, trying to tame the woman while fending off another attack. "I swear I know what I'm doing, just trust me for five seconds and I'll get rid of these guys."

"I don't trust you as far as I can throw you!" Lightning spat, lunging forwards and attacking a rock. A Gorgonopsid took the opportunity to make a break from Snow, sensing the female was weakened. Before Snow could move it had sunk its teeth into Lightning's arm. "Son of a!" She grit her teeth and dropped her sword, just as Snow came and dealt with the Gorgonopsid. Lightning sank to the ground, clutching her bleeding arm and uttering every curse she had ever heard.

"Hey, nee-san? They're gone for now, but they'll be back. They're pack animals, if we stick around we'll be seeing about twenty of the guys-"

"I know that! You think I don't know that? I've been staking out this area for weeks, I know all about the creatures here and their habits. And even if I hadn't I know how to handle myself. I'm a soldier, it's what I was trained to do. Just because you've self proclaimed yourself to be some kind of hero, doesn't mean that you're qualified to take over an official Guardian Corps mission and-"

"Er, Lightning? I'm over here. You're talking to a tree." Snow did his very best not to laugh. He really did. Though a small stifled one may have escaped his lips because suddenly Lightning was yelling again. With a sigh and a quickly forming headache, Snow cracked his knuckles, painful from the fight, and dug his hands into his pockets while Lightning continued her tirade about why 'people like him' made her job so much more difficult. His fingers brushed up with a few small vials, and he plucked them from his pocket while giving non-committal answers to the woman. "Here we go, take these." Stepping forwards he pressed tow vials into her hand.

"…What are they?" Deeply suspicious, Lightning ran her fingers over the bottles. They were a familiar size and weight, she knew really what they were; standard issue medicines. It just stung that he'd been able to tell she needed help and had been actually able to assist her.

"Eye drops and an antidote. You need them, right?" Snow asked, taking in her appearance. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were dirty and her boots caked in mud. She'd been out here a while, clearly caught in the storm and probably caught off guard by monsters, some of whom had taken it upon themselves to inflict her with the ailments. "They're not going to kill you, I swear! I bought them the other day from a store, one the military uses, so they're not tainted knock offs. Just drink the damn things, I promised Serah I'd bring you home safely and she'll skin me alive if we get home and you're still blind and sick!"

At her sister's name, Lightning looked up, which she realised was a pointless affair. She'd almost forgotten about Serah. She had promised the mission wouldn't take too long, that they'd have dinner together tonight. They didn't do that as much anymore; if Lightning wasn't away on a mission, Serah was busy studying or at her part time job. Swallowing hard, Lighting turned the vials over in her hand and finally uncorked the first and drank the bitter liquid. It burned her throat and instantly ignited every nerve in her body. Getting poisoned wasn't any fun, and the cure wasn't much better. Once she didn't feel quite so shaky she took the smaller bottle and unscrewed the lid. Taking the dropper she tilted her head to the sky and squirted a couple of drops into each eye. This was the exact opposite of the other potion; it felt like ice was being placed onto her eyes. As she blinked to spread the liquid her eyes felt sore and painful and stung even worse than before as the treatment went to work. After a few minutes of blinking she was finally able to make out the blurry outline of the man who thought he had rescued her. She'd been doing fine!

"Better?" Snow asked, stepping forwards and taking a glove off so that he could press a hand to her forehead. "Not too bad, if we get going your fever should be almost gone by the time we get back." He strapped on the glove again and cocked his head in the direction he had come from. "Well, Miss Soldier, shall we get going? Can't imagine you want to spend a minute longer with me than you have to."

"Damn right I don't." Lightning said coldly, handing the potions back to him before starting off in the direction he had indicated.

"…Nice." Snow rolled his eyes, pocketing the rest of the potions in case they needed them later. Good thing she hadn't been able to see that the antidote had already been partly used. He'd run in to a spot of trouble the day before while patrolling for NORA and had needed a sip. He seriously doubted she'd have ever touched the vial knowing he'd drank from it. Smiling to himself he noticed he was being left behind, so hurried to catch up with his soon to be sister in law.

For a while he respected her obvious wish to be left alone in silence, and simply followed her as she made her way back to the Farron residence. But they started to slow down after about ten minutes, and every so often Snow could see her right hand wandering over to press against the bite on her left arm.

"I think I have a potion to help heal that, if it's bothering you?" He spoke quietly, but in the now still night it sounded much louder.

"Che." Was her only answer, and her hand dropped to her side as she realised he could tell she'd been cradling her arm.

"I take that as a no. So you're really willing to risk infection just because you don't like me?"

"Don't like you? I hate you! If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have even been hurt in the first place. You made me lose concentration."

"…Uh-huh. Because it looked to me like you were getting your ass handed to you. Don't glare at me like that! It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know? There were six of them! Even for a Guardian Corps soldier, that's tough. And the weather wasn't in your favour so-"

"No excuses. I'm trained to be better than all that." Lightning said softly, her hand once again going to her arm. "I failed."

"The mission?"

"No, not the mission. That's done. I…why am I talking to you? Why are you even here?"

"Serah asked me to come find you, trust me, I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart! If I had it my way I'd be inside in the warm right now, and my hands wouldn't hurt from a fight and I wouldn't be being yelled at for trying to help! Serah was going to come out herself to find you, she was that worried! I stopped her and offered to go myself. And this is the thanks I get for saving your sorry ass."

For a long moment they walked in silence, the dull rumbling of far off thunder the only sound.

"…I didn't mean to worry Serah. She knows the nature of my work. She knows that there's always a chance I won't come home."

"What kind of rubbish is that? She's your sister! You're the only family she has! You have to be more careful. What if I hadn't have come? Do you really think you could have handled those six on your own in that state? Why didn't you radio for backup?"

"…My communicator got crushed."

"Your…oh. So you were going to ask for help?"

"I was. But I couldn't."

The rain started to fall harder again, the clear liquid diluting the red of the blood on Lightning's arm to a pink reminiscent of her hair. Snow rubbed at his eyes, not for the first time wondering what the hell he was getting himself into here. Before he could say anything, however, Lighting stopped walking. She didn't turn to face him and for a moment was completely silent. So much so that Snow was about to ask her what was wrong.

"…Thank you." And with that she hurried off again and Snow had to stride to catch up with her.

But now a small smile was tugging at his lips. Maybe, just maybe, he really could crack the older Farron and get her to at least let him set foot in her house. For a few more minutes they fell back into the silence, though it was clear Lightning wanted to say something. Snow just let her think it through, knowing the older sister wasn't the best at vocalising her thoughts.

"Serah…wanted to come out and find me?" Lightning asked suddenly, her brow furrowing.

Snow smiled, unable to tell from the tone whether Lightning was proud or angry. "Yeah, she was worried that you were late and as soon as the storm started she ran to get her shoes on. I told her to stay and mind dinner, and I'd go find her wayward sister!"

"Che. She's too reckless. I need to have words with her…she's not very good with directions and she doesn't have any weapons or combat training. I'd have got home and then had to go out again to find her."

Yes, there was definitely pride in Lightning's voice. Snow was starting to learn that sometimes you didn't need to listen to Lightning's words to hear what she was saying. Maybe that's how Serah put up with her. "Don't make her feel bad, she was just worried. And I was on hand to stop her."

"Yes just why were you at my home in the first place?" Lightning asked, glancing back at him with narrowed eyes.

"It was supposed to be a surprise…" Snow grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "Uh…surprise?"

"I hate surprises." Lightning said coldly, before storming off once again.

Rolling his eyes Snow followed her, about to say something else when he caught a slight shiver. Lightning was one of the most controlled people in the world, if she was shivering even a little she was probably close to hypothermia. Unzipping his coat, before Lightning could realise what he was doing, he draped the heavy garment over her shoulders. Instantly she looked up and tried to shrug it off, but he placed large hands on her shoulders and smiled.

"No need to thank me, didn't think for a second you would! Just…if you get a cold Serah will never let me hear the last of it. You should dress a bit more sensibly you know? Between you and Serah I'm surprised neither of you ever get frost bite."

"Hn." Lightning said nothing, but stopped trying to take the coat off. It was thick and had been warmed by Snow's body heat. That thought was almost enough to have her try and shed it again, but she knew he was right. As much as she really hated to admit it. "…The bottom is getting dirty." She pointed out, glancing down and noting it was so long that it trailed along the ground after her.

"Don't worry, I own a washing machine. Figured it would be a bit long on you; my clothes are usually too big for others, especially girls! Not that I go around lending my clothes out to girls or anything!" He hurried to explain, feeling foolish for talking so much. "Except Serah. She's borrowed that coat a few times while we're out. Like I said; neither of you dress for the weather. I think she does it on purpose, now. She says it feels really soft and it's warmer than anything she owns."

"I'll buy her a coat." Lightning decided, more than anything to stop herself agreeing with her sisters words. Because inside the coat was indeed very soft and actually really rather comforting.

"That's not…you're really difficult, you know that?" Snow said with a low laugh, wondering if the sakura haired woman was doing it on purpose. Serah often said that Lightning really did have problems talking with others, so maybe she wasn't.

"Hn." Lightning slipped her arms into the sleeves. Where they ended mid lower arm on Snow, the sleeves were pretty much normal on herself. There was a faint smell of bodyspray, and idly Lightning had to wonder if this scent was something Serah was addicted to. Lightning wasn't ignorant; just because she'd not been a sappy love struck teenager didn't mean she didn't know what love was. She'd just never had the time for boyfriends and such. She'd had to step up and raise her sister. But Serah was free from that responsibility, and the whole point of everything was that she carried the burden so that Serah could be normal and have boyfriends and go to university and such. So why was she so opposed to Snow? Serah had always been mostly sensible…she'd only had two boyfriends that Lightning was aware of, and they'd both been polite charming yet somewhat subdued scholarly types. Snow was a shock to the system. And then for them to be engaged so quickly…it was all happening so fast. Serah had grown up and she hadn't realised it. "You're taking her…"

"Hmm? You say something?" Snow had been lost in his own thoughts, listening to the storm that seemed to be heading back their way for a second round.

"It's nothing. We're here." Startled at her realisation, Lightning all but jogged the last little way to her home. She couldn't believe that was all there was to it…it was silly to think that she was 'losing' Serah. They were sisters. Serah wasn't going anywhere.

As she placed her hand on the door handle, a large hand rested over hers, pausing her. "…We both are. She's going to Eden for university in a few months. Eden is…well it's not close. We'll both be losing her. But the thing about Serah is the people she cares about she cares about a hell of a lot. She'll call, she'll come visit. Even when we get married, even if she moves out…you know you're not going to lose her. She'll still need you like she always has done. You won't be made redundant. We'll just be sharing the job. You've done an amazing job for so long…let me help."

"…" Lighting said nothing, just stared at their reflection in the glass of the door. The rain distorted their features, made it look like they were crying. "...She's waiting for us." Lightning whispered, pressing the handle down and stepping into the warmth of the house.

The scent of the meal on the stove welcomed them in and upon hearing the door soft footsteps quickly pattered through the living room and into the hall. Serah's face instantly lit up upon seeing them both and she launched herself forward as Lightning was taking off her muddy boots and pulled her older sister into a hug. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I'm so glad you're home!" Over Lightning's shoulder she caught Snow's eye and smiled brightly, mouthing a quiet 'thank you' to him. He just grinned in response. Heroes never need thanks.

As Lightning slipped Snow's coat off, however, Serah noticed the bite on her arm and gasped. "No, Serah, its fine I-"

"It's not fine! Go get settled in the living room and I'll bring the Light Repair Kit!" Serah called over her shoulder as she disappeared up the stairs to the bathroom.

"The 'Light Repair Kit'?" Snow asked, genuinely intrigued as Lightning rolled her eyes. Snow caught the edge of her lips twitching into a smile, though.

"It's a first aid kit. But because I need so often after missions, Serah felt the need to name it. I swear sometimes she doesn't act eighteen…" Lightning shook her head and started off into the living room to sit down, then turned to Snow. "You coming? You did help a bit, I suppose. And you need to dry off. Can't have you going home like that."

"You honour me, nee-san!"

"Don't call me that. You're not my brother in law yet." Lightning warned, but knew that wouldn't stop him.

"Just give it time." Snow promised with a cheeky grin that made Lightning wish she could unfold her sword and wipe it off his face. Unfortunately Snow had taken her sword and was placing it by the door with their shoes. Probably for the best; it was filthy and needed a good cleaning and polish before the next mission.

Lightning was about to respond when Serah came rushing down the stairs, almost tripping over the last one in her haste to be at her sisters side. Once she was in the living room she fell to her knees and began rummaging through a tin box to find disinfectant and bandages. For the next few minutes the only sounds were of Serah wincing and apologising for hurting her sister as Lightning's muscles tensed whenever anything brushed up against the wound. Lightning didn't say a single word until it was finished when she offered a small smile. "Thank you, Serah."

"It's okay! Oh…dinner! Are you both hungry?" Serah asked, jumping to her feet and anxiously looking between them. There wasn't too much she could do, but maybe a nice warm meal would help matters.

"Great! I'm starved!" Snow grinned, turning to Lightning. "How about it, nee-san? Think you can stand to sit at a table with me?"

Serah swallowed hard, her breath hitching in her throat as she awaited her older sister's answer. Snow had gone to rescue her, but had it been appreciated? What if it had made things worse? What if she threw Snow out? What if-

"Sure, let's go."

Serah breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly. She didn't expect Lightning to be best friends with the man just yet, but she was sure now that she didn't outright hate him that Snow's charm would get to her in the end. Serah smiled happily and followed her two heroes through to the kitchen, her heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

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**Please review**


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